Among All-Star center fielders Andrew McCutchen beats Shane Victorino

The All-Star break is finally here, and the talk of
snubs and undeserving All-Stars will soon be behind us. But with the changes
due to injuries, I came across two National League center fielders that deserve
to be All-Stars, but found themselves in very different fates last week headed
into the mid-summer classic.

Pittsburgh Pirates Andrew McCutchen. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen has
finally been named to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game after being snubbed by the fan's
vote, the players' vote, the Final Vote, and pretty much every other way he
could have been. McCutchen was named as an injury replacement for Brewers
outfielder Ryan Braun Saturday to a standing ovation by Pirates fans at PNC Park.
McCutchen is making his first All-Star appearance and joins closer Joel
Hanrahan, and starting pitcher Kevin Correia as the Pirates' 3 representatives
on the NL All-Star team.

On the eastern side of the state, The Philadelphia Phillies Final Vote winner
Shane Victorino was once again voted onto the National League roster. Hours
after being named to the National League All-Star roster, Victorino found
himself on the disabled list. Victorino has a strained ligament in his right
thumb, so National League manager Bruce Bochy has named Los Angeles Dodgers
outfielder Andre Ethier to replace him for Tuesday's game in Phoenix.

Seeing this I immediately had to question, which deserves to
be there the most, essentially whose the better all around player for their
respective clubs in center field.

Was McCutchen really snubbed by all of the voters? Pirate's
manager Clint Hurdle thought so. McCutchen is a catalyst on a mediocre team
that is over performing all expectations. In Pittsburgh, you don't have much star power,
so is McCutchen just standing out among the weak, or is he a true All-Star? Should
he have been voted in ahead of Victorino, or did the fans and players make the
right call?

It's not a simple conclusion, and it's based on a number of
factors (including a lot of opinion). It's close, but Andrew McCutchen gets the
nod as being the better of the two, in terms of production, value to the team,
and contributing to wins. Agree or disagree, that's fine. This is simply an
observation to further the context of sports discussion.

Looking at the basic categories, Victorino leads McCutchen
in Average (.303 to .291), OPS (.900 to .894). Two telling stats and both guys
are dead close. McCutchen has an advantage when it comes to home runs (14-9),
RBI's (54-34), and runs scored (54-53). Again these stats are close, minus the
RBI's. I looked at where they bat to determine if that could be the cause, and
it's not. Both bat in the top 3 in the order over 90 percent of the time,
Victorino does bat 2nd in the line up more than McCutchen (who bats
3rd more often than Victorino. On the surface of offensive
production the only difference between these two is age. Victorino is 30 while
McCutchen is only 24 but age is a non factor in determining whose better this
year.

Where McCutchen separates himself is in the moments each
game that matter the most. He's called "McClutchen" because it's more than just
stats, he has come up big in tight spots for the Pirates and he produces in
times of greater need. By simply leading the perennial losers to a shot at
winning baseball, McCutchen has to gain some extra favor.

Look at their batting average with runners in scoring
position. McCutchen bats .307 to Victorino's .271. This explains the disparity
in RBI's for guys with nearly identical at bats, average, and home runs. McCutchen
also scores better than Victorino in terms of runs created (67 to 54.5) and walks
per plate appearance (.127 to .089). McCutchen just walks more than Victorino
at a 49-27 advantage. This helps him create more runs and more scoring
opportunities, though McCutchen strikes out more often than Victorino with 62 K's
to only 31 by Victorino.

Not having the line up that Victorino has around him puts an
extra emphasis on his very comparable numbers. The Pirates have virtually no
power at the plate, and are getting by with less. Currently the Pirates are
using 5 position players that were on AAA rosters just a few weeks ago. Yet McCutchen
is putting up his best numbers in his three year career. Defensively I see both
players as about equal; the difference (small as it is) is at the plate, and in
the clutch moments.

McCutchen should have made the All-Star team as more than
just an injury replacement. He's a better player than Victorino, who seems to
be widely popular with fans. He's been the Final Vote winner now two times.
What do you think? Tell me and I'll use the best arguments and comments in a
later piece as a follow up to the debate.

Related Stories

Featured Story

Get 'Today's Front Page' in your inbox

This newsletter is sent every morning at 6 a.m. and includes the morning's top stories, a full list of obituaries, links to comics and puzzles and the most recent news, sports and entertainment headlines.

optionalCheck here if you do not want to receive additional email offers and information.See our privacy policy

Thank you for signing up for 'Today's Front Page'

To view and subscribe to any of our other newsletters, please click here.